Water seal for refrigerator cars



May 16, 1950 R. E. POWERS WATER SEAL FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

m I m m E F'iled June 7, 1947 JQH D 95 INVENTOR. ELC/ZQ/ZZE P050675, BYa 5g y 1950 R. E. POWERS 2,508,294

"WATER SEAL FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Filed June 7. 1947 2 Skieets-Sheet 2Patented May 16,1950

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WATER SEAL FOR REFRIGERATOR CARS Richard E.Powers, East Rochester, N. Y.

Application June '1, 1947, Serial No. 758,304

1 Claim. 1

The invention relates to a water seal and trap for a railwayrefrigerator car drain pipe. Such pipes are used to allow melted ice toescape and for the removal of debris from the interior of the car. Waterin a bowl forming part of the seal trap overlaps the end of the drainpipe sufficiently to form a water seal to prevent refrigerated airescaping from the interior of the car to the outside thereof and at thesame time preventing the entrance of hot air from the outside to theinterior of the car. Just the opposite is true when the interior of thecar is being heated.

Such bowls are generally swingable to allow the water to escape from thebowl and thus break the sea1 and allow water and debris to readilyescape from the interior of the car. Such bowls must be swingable farenough away from the drain pipe to allow a stick to be used to clean outthe drain pipe if necessary.

An object of the invention is to provide a resiliently hinged bowlassembly so that if the bowl is accidentally or inadvertently left inopen position the bowl will automatically move to closed position whenfree to do so. If the bowl is left in open position, of course, therecan be no seal and loss of refrigeration would result.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a structure of waterseal and trap of few parts thereby providing light weight, simplicity ofdesign and assembly, with no working parts exposed to the corrosiveaction of meltage of the refrigerant or brine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of my resiliently hinged bowl assembly.

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the assembly.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the assembly.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55 of Figure 2.

Figures 6 and '7 show the pipe part of the bowl hinge structure.

Figures 8 and 9 show one of the fillers of the hinge structure.

Figures 10 and 11 show the spring before assembly with the base memberand bowl.

In the form of the invention illustrated my resiliently hinged bowlassembly comprises a base member 2 adapted to be secured to the car 3 byany convenient means, such as the bolts 4, and is provided with anaperture 5 through which the drain pipe 6 extends. The bowl 1 ispositioned below the drain pipe 6 and the pipe projects car and theoutside atmosphere. See Figure 1.

The base member 2 is provided with spaced sockets l2. A pipe I3 is fixedto the bowl by being welded thereto, as shown at I4 and 15. The ends ofthe pipe pivotally engage the sockets I2 and [2 so that the bowl 1 ishingedly or swingably supported from the base member 2.

A fiat torsional spring I8 is positioned within the pipe l3 which hasits central portion fixed to said pipe against torsional movement bymeans of the little semi-circlular fillers I9 welded to the interior ofthe pipe and spaced apart to provide an opening for the flat spring. Theend portions of the spring are fixed to the sockets l2 against torsionalmovement respectively by means of the little semi-circular fillers 20secured to the sockets l2 and spaced apart to provide slots for the endsof the spring.

By this arrangement when the bowl 1 is swung to open position, that isaway from the base member 2, torsional stresses are set up on the springI8 (see Figure 2) tending to return the bowl to normal closed position,that is, toward the base member.

In assembling the bowl I with the base member 2 I preferably put aninitial torque in the spring l8 to bias the bowl tightly against thebase member. This is accomplished by adjustment of the fillers 20 and 20before they are welded in place.

The bowl may be provided with a spout 2| and handle 22 if desired.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the pre-- ferred form of theinvention, though it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as itis obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of theclaim, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

A resiliently hinged bowl assembly for a water seal for a refrigeratorcar drain pipe, said assembly comprising a base member adapted to befixed to a car adjacent said drain pipe, and having an aperture thereinfor the reception of said drain pipe, axially alined spaced sockets,fixed to said base member and provided with diametrical slots, a bowladapted to overlap the end of the drain pipe and form a water sealtherewith, a pipe fixed intermediate its ends to said bowl and pivotallyengaging said sockets to form a hinge between the bowl and said basemember, and a flat pre-loaded torsional spring positioned within saidpipe having the central portion thereof fixed to said pipe againsttorsional movement and having the end portions thereof fixed in theslots of said sockets against torsional UNITED STATES PATENTS movement,whereby when the bowl is swung away from the base member torsionalstresses are Number Name Date set up in said spring tending to returnthe bowl 7,855 saladfe 1877 toward said base member when free to do so.5 645981 spaldmg Man 27, 1900 RICHARD POWERS 8, 10 Carry Dec. 19, 19052,110,927 Zane Mar. 15, 1938 REFERENCES CITED 2,163,131 Porsche June 20,1939 The following references are of record in th 2412118 Battley et1946 file of this patent: 10

